This is nice... CC.Net only, but nice.
Big Visible Cruise.
I've been telling people for a long time that the best way to motivate a developer is shame and ego. This appeals to both. It also deals with the whole "Out of sight, out of mind" mentality that build status seems to suffer.
6th Sense has a corporate blog. I'm planning on posting separately on that site moving forward. I'll still post here on AgileArtisans.com of course, but I'm not going to cross-post the content.
I posted my first entry today... you can find it here: Software Metrics Don’t Kill Projects, Moronic Managers Kill Projects. It's a link to a popular Alberto Savoia blog posting with a bit of commentary.
Tonight Rick DeNatale will be presenting A History of Agility. Remember to learn from history or be doomed to repeat it!
Meeting details can be found on our Meetup page.
Tonight's meeting is sponsored by TEKSystems. They're bringing two iPod Shuffles to give away tonight!
From the meeting description:
Rick DeNatale had a front row seat to a great deal of the XP, and later, the Agile movement. Come hear Rick's perspective on where we've come from so we can understand where we're going.
What should you do when people constantly have to save projects? Understand why the project needs saving! And fix it.
Don't misunderstand... if the project was 'like that when I got here', it's not your fault. But if you owned it, ran it, then had to save it... maybe you should re-examine how you work.
From Paul Duval (a fellow No Fluff Just Stuff speaker)
Fire your best people…reward the “lazy” ones
Are you constantly bailing water? Step back and find out which pipes are leaking.
I've got an article in this month's Better Software Magazine. It's titled Ready, Aim, Release and it's all about Tracer Bullet Software Development.
We covered the topic in Ship It!, but stole it from the original Pragmatic Programmer .
I'm not sure you can buy it in news stands, but if your company subscribes, grab a copy and check it out.
Just a quick reminder: our Agile RTP meeting is tonight. Since the day after a holiday, I thought people might need a reminder. :)
ARTp on Meetup
The meeting is at 7 tonight and we're meeting at Misys again. I had a lot of good feedback after last month's meeting.
I'll be speaking tonight about introducing Agile practices. It's a talk that I enjoy, but you to bring your own ideas and experience as well. Come prepared to ask questions and share.
See you tonight!
I'm speaking at a new conference in Orlando this December and they asked for some help getting the word out. They've got Andy Hunt, Mike Cohn, Mary Poppendieck, David Hussman, and more great speakers lined up. It looks like it's going to be a fun time, and it's going to be in Orlando in December. :)
Software Quality Engineering is pleased to announce the first Agile Development Practices conference coming to Orlando in December. Whether you're investigating or implementing agile development practices, processes, technologies, or leadership principles, this new conference has solutions for you. Brought to you by the producers of the STAR conference series and the Better Software Conference & EXPO, you have our guarantee that you will experience the first-rate quality and commitment that have defined Software Quality Engineeringís conferences for the last 15 years.
Why Attend?
Benefit from the experience of leading industry experts for the latest agile practices used my the most innovative companies today. Get solutions to your real-world challenges and see how others in the industry have conquered those same challenges.
KEYNOTES PRESENTED BY INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS
Keynotes
World-class experts come armed with new ideas, technologies, and techniques in agile development to inspire you with their real-world successes and challenges. Attend these innovative and imaginative presentations and get your wheels turning.
Mary Poppendieck | Mike Cohn | Jutta Eckstein | Andrew Hunt
PRE-CONFERENCE TUTORIALS
Tutorials
Gain access to leading industry experts delivering the latest technologies, trends, and practices in agile development. Attend these in-depth tutorials structured in both half and full day formats.
CONCURRENT CLASSES
Classes
Attend these hour and a half classes packed with information covering critical agile issues giving new real-world approaches to solving them for the beginner to the seasoned software professional.
THE EXPO
Expo
Visit top industry providers December 5-6, offering the latest in agile solutions. Meet one-on-one with representatives from some of todayís most progressive and innovative organizations.
We look forward to seeing you in Orlando!
For registration information, please email sqeinfo@sqe.com or call our Client Support Group at 904-278-0524 or 888-268-8770. To register on the Web, visit our website.
Rob really nailed it with this blog entry. He's talking about how and why great developers get booted up into the management track and why that's a really dumb way to treat your tech talent, not to mention just plain bad business.
You can read about the same idea on Wikipedia under the Peter Principle article. It basically says that we are promoted to our level of incompetence, then we get trapped there. Very few people have the insight or courage to bail from the bad position and get back to what they love and do well.
When I give my talk on Software Development Techniques and in Shipper's Unite I talk about the role of a technical lead. I encourage people to try this role out once during their career. It gives you a different perspective on software. The danger is when you allow the words manager to creep into your title. At that point someone's going to look at your job and think it's full-time management. Working as a tech lead, you at least have a chance to write code as well as direct the project. It's what Rob refers to as running a small team. I call it being a tech lead, but the idea is the same.
Talk to the great technical talents you know. I'll bet that every one of them has worked in a management role at least once during their career... then run screaming into the night. :)
In fact, here's a measure of how great your company is. Does someone in management have to leave the company to get back into code or can they transfer "back down" into code?
So try it out once, but as a tech lead, not as a manager. Maybe even time box the experience. One quarter or one year? It's a great way to give developers a taste of management to cure them of silly aspirations... (some people are convinced they should be managers, but they have not idea what that means). This can also help you build your leadership from within your team. Some of you will love it... some will hate it, but we'll all be better developers with the extra experience under our belts.
